A Girl Named Arrogance
by RestInChaos
Summary: Life is a race," She says with a Cheshire grin, "Life is but a race in the game." When it comes to humans, Kouga realizes, she's a challenge all on her own. KougaOC.
1. Chapter 1

Even though I shouldn't post another story with the ones I've already got going on, I'm going to have a second go at an Inuyasha based story anyhow. Wish me luck! xD

* * *

**Chapter One_:_**_  
Hell's Sandals._

"So who the hell are you?" Kouga asked. He sat on the dirt path with his bare legs crossed over one another. One hand rested on his knee, while he used his free hand to rub the newly bruising bump on his head. The reason for this bump, was sitting right across from him.

And she didn't look too interested in making apologies anytime soon either.

The girl let out a long sigh of annoyance. She twisted strands of her light brown hair around her finger mindlessly; the rest of her hair resting shortly passed her shoulders. She was kneeling on the ground with her knees squeezed to her chest. Her dark green eyes roamed around the treed area as though she didn't care a wolf demon sat across from her in anger because of _her_. "Why should I tell you?" She asked snottily.

His shoulders hunched up, brow twitching every second or so as he glared at her. "Why should you tell me?" He growled, no pun intended, under his breath. "You hit me with your damned shoe!" He shouted in incredulous anger at the strange girl.

It was one thing that Kouga had been hit by the girl's sandal at the speed he was going. He was looking for Naraku, after all. But it became a completely different matter when he began to feel pain, and a bump, where the sandal had hit. Who gets hit by a sandal, and almost suffers a concussion because of it? This girl, Kouga had decided, had an explanation to give. She glared at him, and he wondered what she could possibly have to say. "I didn't hit you! You ran into it!" Was her defense.

Kouga was silent for a moment. He examined her intensely. Maybe she was mentally ill and thought he was about swallow her so she threw her shoe or something. "I_…_ Ran into it?" He repeated slowly.

The girl nodded quickly. "Yes. And stop repeating everything I say!" She extended her arm, pointing back at the tree she was in when Kouga was hit. "I was climbing that tree, when my sandal slipped off. It was falling to the ground when you rammed your head into it."

"I didn't ram my head into anything!" Kouga protested fiercely. Forgetting why he was running in the first place, he leaned forward and towered over her to seem more intimidating. "I was minding my own business when your shoe rammed into my head!"

Her face turned skeptical as she shook her head. Completely oblivious to his attempts at scaring her, she pursed her lips and replied, "Shoes can't ram into people. Therefore, _you_ rammed into _my_ shoe."

He sighed; He didn't even know her name but he did know it would be pointless to continue arguing about it. He raised a brow as he looked at the tree. There was only one branch that extended over the pathway, and that must have been the one she was in. "Why were you climbing a tree anyway?"

"My tree climbing motives are _none_ of your concern," She replied, turning her nose up in stubbornness as she intertwined her arms with one another over her chest.

Kouga's brow twitched as he looked at her ridiculously. "Will you answer any of my questions?!" He exclaimed, holding his fist in front of his face to show just how annoyed he was.

"Yes," She nodded and he fell silent, sitting back down in victory. "That one."

He fell over.

As he sat back up and began to retort, another, lighter, voice interrupted. "Kouga! Wait up!" He looked over his shoulder and the girl, still unnamed, leaned to the side to look around him. Two wolf demons were rushing over quickly. Or, well, as quickly as they could. Compared to Kouga, they were snails. Reaching the two of them, they panted as they used their knees for support. "Why'd you stop?" One of them asked.

The girl examined the two with a carefree attitude. They wore the same style clothing as Kouga; fur and metal armor. One had fairer skin, and white hair with a black stripe through it. The other had a more olive tint to his skin, along with a white Mohawk of sorts. The one with the Mohawk was the one who asked the question. "_Is this his pack or something? It's so small…,_" She thought to herself in critique.

Kouga scowled, "Had a run in, that's all."

The white and black haired boy looked up and was the first of the two to notice her. "Who's she, boss?"

'Boss' looked back at her with a glare. "She won't tell me," He muttered in response.

She simply 'hmph'ed at this, crossing her arms as she looked up and away. This caused the leader of the wolf pack to twitch yet again. "Well maybe you should have asked nicer," She hissed out.

The paler one walked over and bent down to her. He grinned, "I'm Ginta. That's Hakkaku. Who are you?"

With a short smile sent to him, the girl looked around and glared at Kouga. "_That's_ how you ask a woman a question, fur-ball," She spat at him before looking back to Ginta. Her expression changed to a nicer, kinder one and she waved a bit. "My name is Leiko."

Kouga, who was now resting his cheek on his palm, couldn't help but snort. "That's for sure…," He grumbled under his breath as his eyes rolled skyward.

The girl's shoulder hunched this time as she looked around Ginta, glaring at Kouga with the utmost anger. "_What was that_?" She growled at him.

He ignored her as he hopped to his feet. "Agh, let's go already! We don't have time to sit around all day," He complained. Ginta let out a small sigh as he nodded.

Leiko began to stand, relieved Kouga would be leaving. Once on her feet, she looked up to see that he was still standing there, but looking far more serious than he had the entire time she saw him(from her sandal almost killing him to then.) "What is it?" She asked with a small scowl on her face.

"He's here…," He growled out. The tone in his voice showed he wasn't replying to her, but making an actual statement.

Hakkaku and Ginta jumped a bit at this. "Naraku's here?" Hakkaku asked in a small tone. Kouga didn't make a motion to reply as he scanned the area through narrow eyes. Leiko could see he was sniffing whatever(Or whoever in this case) out.

"Come out Naraku, I know you're here!" Kouga exclaimed firmly.

A small chuckle was heard shortly after. Leiko looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. Hakkaku and Ginta, on the other hand, were scouting places to hide. "Come with us…," Ginta said in a rushed whisper to Leiko as he and Hakkaku ran behind a boulder.

"Huh?" Leiko mumbled as she watched them. Before she could act upon Ginta's request, a swarm of giant bees rushed out of the trees, heading straight for the girl. She let out a gasp in surprise, stumbling back. She wasn't sure what really happened when she felt an arm wrap around her waist, and she seemingly reappeared on the rock Ginta and Hakkaku hid behind. It was clear then. Kouga had grabbed hold of her, moving her out of her harm's way.

She still thought he was an annoying fur-ball though.

Looking back to the pathway, Leiko saw a white fur covered figure with a purple mask. It(He, she assumed) was kneeling as it looked directly at the two. There was little movement. "Get back there with Ginta and Hakkaku," Kouga muttered under his breath. As much as she hated the thought of doing something he told her to do, she was smart enough to know she should. She turned, sliding down the rock and landing with the aid of Hakkaku as Kouga jumped off the boulder, entering the pathway again.

"What's going on?" Leiko asked as she felt her butt land on the dirt ground. Ginta was on his knees to her left while Hikakku kneeled down at her right, facing the two of them.

Ginta, who had been spying around the rock, looked back at her. "Have you heard of the demon Naraku?" The girl shook her head curiously. "He's a really tough demon that killed the rest of our pack. Kouga wants revenge," He explained simply.

With a nod, she began to catch on. "And that… Guy out there is him_…_" Ginta nodded this time and took back to spying from behind the boulder.

It was silent until then, when the shouts from Kouga along with sounds of fighting filled the three's ears. "What's going on out there?" Hakkaku asked impatiently under his breath.

"Kouga's losing_…_!" Ginta mumbled, tone desperate and worried.

Hakkaku groaned. "Ah man, this isn't good," He said, shaking his head. "Should we go help him?"

Leiko couldn't help but butt in. "You'd probably just get in his way." When the two looked at her broken-hearted, she smiled nervously, waving her hands in front of her quickly. "N-No offense! But if Naraku is as tough as you say, Kouga doesn't really need his opponent being able to hold one of you hostage!" She exclaimed nervously, before mumbling, "Or killing you altogether…"

The two wolf demons looked at each other and sighed. "We're useless, Ginta…," Hikakku whined.

Ginta looked back at the fight and shook his head. "But that doesn't mean we can't try! Kouga has been there for us every time we needed it!" He said.

Hakkaku paused, before nodding. "That's true."

He looked to Leiko as if he expected her to say something now. She paused and nodded slowly, "Yeah…! If you three make such a strong team, then go out there and fight!"

Silence again. The two shared looks before Ginta sighed, and Hakkaku started crying huge tears. "We _are_ useless!" Hakkaku exclaimed.

"We can still try though!" Ginta exclaimed before letting out a loud war cry as he ran around the rock, and into the fight.

Leiko and Hakkaku shared glances this time and Hakkaku shook his head. "I'm not going out there…," Hakkaku muttered simply. Finally getting the nerve, Leiko scrambled to the edge of the rock where Ginta once was and looked around the rock to see what was going on. Kouga was throwing kicks at Naraku so quickly, she was unable to actually see how many.

Just as Hakkaku was about to ask how the fight was going a tentacle wrapped around Hakkaku and Leiko. Leiko looked down quickly to see it, but had been jerked high into the air before she could react. She let out a yelp of surprise as Hakkaku shouted for Kouga's help. Said wolf had turned to see what was going on, and cussed under his breath upon seeing it. He looked to see that, what he found out was a puppet, had the tentacles coming out from under the fur. Kouga jumped forward, landing on them with the heel of his foot. The impact crushed the nerves, and the girl and wolf demon were both dropped back to the ground. "Get out of here, would you?!" He shouted before sending a punch the puppet's way.

Ginta, who was running around as though he was actually doing something, stopped in his tracks and nodded quickly. He turned and ran back toward the rock, grabbing Leiko's hand. "Let's move, Hakkaku!" He shouted before taking off. Leiko was dragged away, as Hakkaku followed closely behind.

. . .

The three sat around a small campfire in a comfortable silence. Ginta was chewing a straw of grass as Hakkaku stretched. Leiko sat against a fallen log, watching the fire. They hadn't talked much since they left; Ginta and Hakkaku were too worried and ridden with guilt about not staying around to help their pack leader despite all he had done for them.

Leiko was just too bored to start conversation.

"So how'd you run in with Kouga anyway?" Hakkaku asked finally, looking over the fire and to the girl in curiosity. Whatever it was had to have been good if it stopped Kouga from traveling. Almost nothing could, except Kagome.

The girl looked up at him and sighed. Casually, she shook her head and replied with, "He ran into my shoe."

Silence fell across the fire… Which was broken with Leiko's stomach. Ginta and Hakkaku laughed a bit as Leiko let out a long whine, holding her stomach. "When's the last time you ate?" Ginta asked, amusement in his eyes.

She shrugged, "Sometime yesterday. That's why I was in that tree, too. I was trying to catch a squirrel."

"Here."

Before Leiko could respond, she saw a fish land in her lap. Looking up, she saw Kouga entering the area from behind her, holding a small amount of fish. His two companions straightened up upon seeing him. "Kouga! How'd the fight go?" Hakkaku asked quickly.

"Useless," Kouga muttered as he sat down, passing fish to his pack as well. "The coward just used a puppet anyway," He angrily stated as he tore into his own fish.

Ginta sighed, "We'll get him next time, boss." He lifted his fish and took a big bite of it. Hakkaku joined him in the dining.

Kouga scowled as he ate, "You're damn right we will…"

Leiko was silent as she looked down at her fish, ignoring the wolf demons that sat around her. She was really hungry. '_It looks so good…,_' She thought to herself before digging in happily. Kouga fell silent as his scowl became more distant. He watched her as he ate, debating over how to deal with her. It wasn't every day he ran into a strange woman that almost killed him with a shoe. …It wasn't every day he ran into a strange woman that almost killed him, period. Yet, there she sat. "So where do you live?" He finally asked.

Blinking, said girl looked over at him. Ginta and Hakkaku looked to her in curiosity. "Oh… A small village north of here," She replied.

Ginta blinked, thinking it over. "The next village north is pretty far away…," He pondered out loud.

She nodded, "Yeah. I was going to get wood for the Elders, and I kind of got side-tracked…"

Looking to her, he smiled, "Why don't we take you back?"

"What?!" Kouga exclaimed, sitting straighter as he almost dropped his fish. What the hell was his pack doing _without_ his permission?

Ginta only grinned and looked over at Kouga. "Right, Boss? We can't just send her out on her own, can we?" He asked in rushed excitement.

The authority figure to Ginta looked over at Leiko. She had originally been watching the scene unfold but upon hearing her stomach protest to the pause in receiving food, she began to eat again. Could he really deal with this girl for another few days, just to insure her safety? He himself didn't really care. '_As long as she keeps her shoes around, she should be fine by herself_…' He snorted at the thought as he felt the bruise on his head. He then looked to Ginta and Hakkaku. Both looked ready to beg if necessary. With a long sigh, he shook his head, "Whatever."

Within seconds, Leiko felt two pairs of arms wrapped around her. "Huh?" She mumbled, looking up in shock. Kouga smirked slightly at the sight of her dumbfounded expression as his pack eagerly shouted things to her.

"You're traveling with us, Leiko!"

"Wha?"

"Yeah! You'll arrive home safely, we guarantee it! Kouga will watch after you!"

"Don't _I_ have a say in all this?!"

* * *

Flaming is fine. Just be _mature _about it. Be Responsible. **Don't Flame and Drive**! _Rawr_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:  
**_Going Home_

Kouga; a wolf demon. Leader of a once thriving wolf pack. With shards in his legs, he had strength, speed and a pack. What more could a wolf demon ask for? Nothing. That's what. Then the pack was destroyed leaving only three men, him included. But even so, he still had his power. He still had his pride, his determination, his goals. He still had Ginta and Hakkaku, but really, that wasn't something to brag about.

Kouga was a wolf demon.

He _did not_ have to put with the constant squabble between him and Leiko, a human girl. That's what she was. A human, and an annoying one at that. Kouga had met many humans, but none were like her. None were like Kagome either, but both were on opposite sides of the spectrum in Kouga's mind. Kagome was wonderful; Leiko was, well, terrible. He didn't see why Ginta and Hakkaku liked her as much as they did. They were just gullible; he had seen the real _Leiko_ and he knew exactly why that was her name. Arrogant, is what she was.

"Are you even listening?"

There it went. That voice. Leiko's voice. It was bold and outright; a straight to the point kind of voice. She could sound feminine when she wanted to, but that was never around Kouga. It was that voice that made him snap. It was _that_ voice that made him wish he didn't go anti-human and stop eating them. '_Remember, Kouga, just think of Kagome…_' He thought to himself over and over as he finally looked up to see Leiko standing over him with hands on her hips.

That pose again.

That was another thing Kouga had learned to recognize about the girl. She had a pose that could change for any situation. With Ginta and Hakkaku, she was like a little kid with her relaxed, carefree posture. With Kouga however, if her hands weren't on her hips, crossed, or flying to his face; they were being held back by Ginta so they _wouldn't_ go flying toward Kouga's face. Ginta had asked her already not to attack Kouga, and Kouga was asked the same about her. But every once in a while, they '_forgot_'. "No, I wasn't," Kouga replied to her dully.

Leiko felt air blowing out of her nose in frustration. She had had to deal with the wolf demon for three days now. As nice as Ginta and Hakkaku were, she couldn't stand Kouga. She may have just been a human, but she was a damn strong one and she wasn't putting up with Kouga's crap. His pack may let him do it, but she wasn't in a pack of anybody's and she wasn't about to start acting like it. Besides, Kouga found her to be unworthy of dealing with at times. Kouga was cocky. He was too arrogant.

He sat on a log with his shoulders dropped and elbows on his knees. For the past half an hour, he had been staring into space. He was tired; she could tell. While Kouga was noticing things about her, she was noticing things about him. She had already witnessed his different moods, attitudes and tones; which is exactly why she was never worried about arguing with him. She knew when she would have to back off. That time just hadn't come yet. And she doubted it ever would. She may have irritated him, but they were always the little things. Never anything to induce rage from the wolf demon.

The girl glared down at him, "I said… Ginta and Hakkaku are headed up stream. So unless you want to sit here with your mouth open waiting to catch flies, _let's go_."

Kouga blinked himself to reality. He scowled slightly at the hiss in her voice but ignored it as he stood. "When'd they leave?" He questioned as he began to head to the river.

"Around the same time you decided to go unresponsive," She replied casually as she turned to follow his lead. "What were you thinking about, anyways?" She asked, shaking her head.

Without missing a second, he told her, "Ways to get rid of you."

She glared up at the back of his head. "You would have done it already if you were going to get rid of me," She stated matter-of-factly.

The wolf demon stopped. This was one of the things that annoyed him. She claimed to 'know his kind', and have observed his every move. It couldn't have been possible. He turned around on his heel, looking down at her firmly. "What makes you think I wasn't waiting for the right moment, you spoiled brat?" He asked through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes.

Leiko smirked. Crossing her arms, she leaned up to mumble in his face, "You're not smart enough to think things like that through."

"Why you…!" He scowled, fists clenched as he resisted any negative action. She merely chuckled, walking around him and skipping happily off toward Ginta and Hakkaku. That girl was going to be the death of someone; Kouga had a feeling it would be _him_ or _herself_.

. . .

The two reached Kouga's pack in reasonable peace after their little feud, having mutually decided not to bother with one another for a while. Ginta looked up from his place in the river, and grinned. "What took you two so long?"

Leiko smirked. "This one over here had his head in the clouds," She retorted as she walked over to the rock Hakkaku sat on. Sitting beside him, she watched as Ginta continued trying to catch fish with the stick he wielded. It was bright out and even if Leiko had just stepped out of the shade for a few seconds, she felt the sun beating down on her. The water was looking quite tempting. Kouga noticed this.

"If you get carried down stream, don't expect me to come save you," He snorted out, hands on his hips as he stood by the water.

Hakkaku's jaw dropped slightly as he leaned forward. "Boss!" Leiko only stared the demon down through narrowed eyes. Kouga ignored her as he watched the water for fish. Knowing this, Leiko grinned and slid off the rock she sat on. "L-Leiko…," Hakkaku warned under his breath, reaching out to stop the girl from doing what he knew she had in mind. But she ignored him as she snuck over to Kouga. With every inch nearer, she raised her hands higher and higher. Just as she reached out to push him in, he spun around on his heel and grabbed her. Throwing her in, he heard her let out a loud yelp before he felt something pulling on his top. He looked down to see Leiko grabbing him to stay up.

It was when he felt himself falling in and saw her smirking before she hit the water that he realized she wasn't trying to stay up – she was trying to take him down with her.

They both yelled right before the water splashed around them. Feeling themselves engulfed, they opened their eyes to see each other floating face-to-face. Upon Leiko glaring at him, he returned the harsh look as they quickly swam back up. Leiko gasped for air, her hair sticking to her face and neck. She grabbed the ends of her dark yellow Gi top and squeezed the excess water out of them. "You son of a bitch!" She shouted, glaring up at the wolf demon as her Gi top hung around her loosely, open to show the bandages around her torso.

He glared down at her, "You were going to push me in!"

"That doesn't give you the right to do it to me!" Leiko exclaimed. Kouga didn't see the logic in her statement so he just shook his head, turning away from her to head back to dry land.

Still angry, Leiko huffed and yanked on his tail. He yelped slightly and spun back around, glaring her down as he held his tail behind him. "What was that for?" He shouted angrily.

"_That_," She hissed out, leaning toward his face, "Was for ignoring me."

The two gritted their teeth in anger, glaring at one another. Hakkaku and Ginta glanced to each other nervously before turning back to their two friends. "Ahem," Ginta cleared his throat as he laughed nervously. "G-Guys, come on. I've got some fish for everybody!" The two turned away from each other after sharing one last glare, and headed toward the two wolf demons. Upon bumping into one another, Lieko shoved him away from her side and he returned the push. The both stumbled a bit, getting caught up in the flow of the water, but managed to reach land anyhow.

Ginta handed everyone a fish and they began to eat in silence. "So how much farther are we from your village?" Ginta asked when he noticed the awkwardness radiating from everyone.

Leiko blinked out of her own thoughts, looking up at the man. "Hm? Oh… Not too far, I don't think. We should get there within the next day or two," She told them, lowering her fish as she thought about it.

Kouga scowled slightly. He had two more days of Leiko. It had been hard enough dealing with her the past three days. Between snide comments and arrogant looks, Kouga had been learning just how much self-control he was capable of. In the midst of thinking of these things, Kouga thought of something else. "Wait a minute," He started, brows furrowing, "You went to get wood and ended up walking for five days? What the hell could you have gotten sidetracked by?"

A small pause came from the brunette who grinned nervously. "Everything…?" Upon seeing the three men fall silent, she sighed and began to rub the back of her neck. "I thought I saw someone so I went to check it out and wound up lost and forgetting why I went out of the village in the first place," She explained as she gave the leftover of her fish to the wolves that sat around them.

So she was absent-minded, too.

With a sigh, Kouga stood from the rock he placed himself on. "Whatever… Just finish eating so you can sleep. The earlier we wake up, the quicker we get you off our back," Kouga stated as he stretched his arms.

Leiko glared up at him as the wolves finished her leftovers. "_I_ wasn't the one who came up with the idea of traveling together, you know," She replied snottily.

He 'feh'ed, looking away in annoyance. "Neither was I." Ginta and Hakkaku shared nervous glances as the two argued while going to their respective, makeshift beds. Only two more days of keeping their friends alive. That couldn't be that hard… Right?

. . .

"Leiko… Wake up…"

The girl didn't budge, causing the two men beside her to sigh. As Ginta and Hakkaku looked to each other in uncertain hesitance, Kouga's impatience began to increase. "Wake up, you hag!" Kouga exclaimed.

Ginta and Hakkaku turned back to the girl when they heard her groan. She scowled, rolling over so her back faced them. "What do you want…?" She grumbled out sleepily.

"Leiko," Hakkaku started softly as he leaned closer to her, "We need to go. We can smell demons coming toward us."

Ginta nodded quickly and added, "Yeah, and they're probably hungry." Leiko only waved her hand dismissively over her shoulder in response. Sighing, Hakkaku shook his head at Ginta. The two were clueless. A growl came from Kouga as he unfolded his arms and walked past the two. "Kouga?" Ginta asked, nervously watching the wolf demon as he neared Leiko's sleeping body.

"Y-You can't kill her, boss!" Hakkaku exclaimed, eyes wide. He didn't know what Kouga was doing, but he surely didn't think it was going to be safe.

Kouga paid no mind to the men as he bent down. Wrapping an arm around Leiko's waist, he threw her into the air. The impact of his shoulder into her stomach made Leiko wake with a loud yelp. "Glad you could finally join us," Kouga remarked casually as he passed Ginta and Hakkaku again.

Leiko's hair hung around her face as she glared at Kouga's back. "How dare you treat me like an old rag!" She hissed out.

"You're right…," Kouga nodded, looking up thoughtfully, "I shouldn't carry you around like a rag. The rag doesn't weigh a ton." With a dropped jaw, Leiko's eyes widened in angry shock. Ginta and Hakkaku both inched away from the two, already sensing Leiko's rage. And just as they expected, a loud, "BITCH!" came from Kouga when his tail and hair were both yanked downward.

. . .

"Ugn… The reason for us leaving was?" Leiko asked as she rubbed her forehead. Kouga had "dropped" her shortly after she pulled his hair. The two would have no doubt fought if it weren't for Ginta and Hakkaku.

The moon was bright over the trees they passed under, showing it was still sometime around midnight. With a sigh, Ginta looked skyward as he answered, "Bat demons…" Leiko turned upward when she saw him looking at something. Indeed, there were five bat demons circling the sky.

"They're scouting the area," Kouga stated as he continued walking, his arms crossed over his chest. "If we keep walking we won't have a problem." Leiko looked over at him, gaining a Cheshire cat grin. She opened her mouth to speak but Kouga glared at her over his shoulder, "Shut up."

Leiko's jaw dropped. Her eyes widened slightly as she said, slightly offended, "I didn't say anything yet!"

"You were about to," Ginta and Hakkaku both intervened.

Glaring at the two, she pouted and continued following Kouga silently. She glanced back up to the bat demons curiously. They had to have noticed Leiko and the others by now, so why hadn't they done anything to them? Looking back ahead, she fixed her gaze on Kouga's back. Did it have something to do with him…? With a slight sigh, she continued her place beside Hakkaku as she wrapped her hair up. Whatever the reason was didn't matter to her. She'd be away from them soon enough anyway.

Time felt still until Kouga stopped. "This is far enough," He said before quickly making a place to stay for the remainder of the night. Hands on her hips, Leiko scowled down at the wolf demon. How could he so easily just get up, walk for_ever_(Well, maybe not forever), and then go back to sleep so easily? She sure couldn't. Feeling the gaze on him, Kouga frowned. "What do you want?" He asked, opening an eye to lazily look up at Leiko.

She 'hmph'ed, crossing her arms. "You woke me up so we could _move_ from bat demons that didn't even bother us. Until I can fall asleep, you aren't sleeping."

Kouga twitched, glaring over at her. "I'm sleeping whenever I want to," He growled out. Leiko raised a brow, shooting him a challenging look. With pursed lips, she kept her arms crossed. She was unhappy and until that changed, Kouga wasn't sleeping. He didn't want to admit it; but he knew it was a losing argument on his end. Sighing, he propped himself up against a tree and stared across the area at her. "Fine," He said simply. When he saw her blink in surprise, he smirked, realizing something.

Leiko _expected_ him to fight back. It must've really driven her crazy when he didn't. It was the best thing Kouga had discovered for a while. The best way to get under Leiko's skin was to agree with her.

If only he knew it sooner. Kouga could've had some fun with it.

. . .

"Leiko… What's your village like?" Ginta asked.

Everyone had been walking through the woods for an hour. The night prior went by fairly quick – Leiko soon fell asleep after her episode with Kouga, allowing Kouga himself to sleep as well. They woke early, ready to start off again on their journey.

"Hm?" Leiko looked over to Ginta before looking back ahead in thought. "It's pretty peaceful, I guess…," She mumbled out in response. "I usually make trips outside the village so I don't know many of the people."

Ginta and Hakkaku nodded, interested in Leiko's response. Thinking back to the day they met, Leiko looked over at them curiously. "So… What about this Naraku guy?" She asked them.

They glanced to each other before Hakkaku delved into the story of who Naraku was – and why they hated him. Leiko listened intently, glancing over to Kouga every time they mentioned him. After explaining the massacre of their pack, they brought up other demons they'd met; Inuyasha being the first. Kouga tensed up at the mention of the name and upon hearing about the two demons' quarrels, Leiko knew that she would've liked Inuyasha.

"Would you two quit talking about that mutt already?" Kouga growled out, his brow twitching in annoyance.

Leiko giggled a bit, looking over at him. "Aww… Struck a nerve, I see." Kouga only glared at her over his shoulder before grumbling to himself about stupid mutts. Leiko only laughed.

. . .

So far Leiko had been quiet, and the day was coming to an end. Leiko was tired, but she wasn't going to let them know about it. Ginta and Hakkaku were talking amongst themselves about things and as usual, Kouga was silent. They had covered more area than they thought they would, by eating while they walked.

Eventually, Leiko began to recognize where they were. Blinking in recognition, she stopped walking. Ginta and Hakkaku stopped and looked back at her. "Leiko?" Ginta asked curiously. Hearing him, Kouga stopped as well.

Leiko grinned, looking over at them, "I can get home myself from here."

Kouga was happy to hear this, but the others weren't. "But… How far away is it?" Hakkaku asked in concern.

Shaking her head, Leiko waved dismissively. "Not very far at all! It's fine. This is originally where I was headed anyway. Really, you guys go on with wherever you were headed," She replied. In one way, she didn't want the village to see her being escorted by demons. She didn't want to have to answer any questions. In another way, she felt like a burden enough as it was. Making them walk the rest of the way when she was capable of it on her own would make it just worse.

"Are you sure?" Hakkaku asked.

Kouga answered for her, sighing as he did so. "Let's just go, you two! She said it was fine, didn't she?"

The two looked at Kouga, still uncertain about it. Leiko nodded, walking over to them. She began pushing them in the opposite direction of her village. "Go on. I know you've got better things to do! Don't worry about me," She said. Seeing Ginta about say something, she shook her head, "Don't worry!"

After a few more attempts, Leiko finally won. Ginta and Hakkaku told her to be careful on her way back home, and hoped to see her again. Kouga said nothing. She stood there, watching as Kouga took off and the others followed him. Sighing, she turned to the direction of her village and began walking, excited about being able to go back home.

. . .

Several minutes had passed as Leiko walked down the path. But it was fine with her, because finally she had made it home. A clear path led straight through the village. On one side of the path were shops and other public places. On the opposite side, were the homes. At the end of the path was a dojo. There was only one thing that caught Leiko's attention.

No one was outside.

With furrowed brows, Leiko slowly made her way down the path. "Hello?" She asked, looking around. No one answered. Growing more and more concerned, she began to run. She reached her home and quickly ran inside. "Hello… Mogi? Lana?" Again, no one replied. Leiko's breathing became heavy as she ran into each room to see no one, or nothing for that matter.

Entering her own room, she saw a note on the bed. So they left her things behind.

Leiko rushed to the bed and picked up the note, her eyes scanning the paper. "_The Elders told us to leave. We went west_," She read before looking up. They… Left her there? There had to be a reason, right? No one would just leave someone behind like that. "I was only gone for a few days," She mumbled to herself, "…Because the Elders sent me off." Leiko's mind began racing through the past events and her eyes were cast downwards. Abandoning her seemed like the answer to what happened, but it didn't sound right to her. What would've been the point of it?

Something was wrong.

Jumping up from her bed, she ran to her closet. She swung the door open and bent down, grabbing the items she should've brought with her beforehand. Slipping the knife out of its small scabbard, she made sure it was sharp before sliding it between her chest and the tightly wound bandages. Once she felt it was in place, her eyes scanned to the Kama leaning against the closet wall. She grabbed the scythe-like wooden sticks and secured them to the sides of her belt. Standing from her room floor, she shut the closet and left quickly, running down the path to the exit of the village.

Unknown to her, a panther demon watched her as she left.

* * *

Be Responsible. **Don't Flame and Drive**! _Rawr_.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to **BionicLemon** and **DarkxBeforexDawn** for the reviews. I really appreciate it and hope I replied to the both of you already!

It took me so long to get this chapter out. I didn't forget about it, I promise – For the past two weeks, Geek Squad has had my laptop. I just got it back yesterday but I still need a recovery disk for it. I've had to use my mom's laptop to write the rest of this chapter.

And I don't own Inuyasha(Did I add this for the first two?). If I did, Kikyo wouldn't have gotten so much screen/page time.  
I do own this original content, however. Be kind – Don't steal!

* * *

**Chapter Three:  
**_Reluctant Reunions_

Only little light shown between trees from the midnight moon. There was no wind, creating an almost dead atmosphere. Even so, Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku were still walking. Ginta and Hakkaku sighed, looking around as they followed their friend and "Boss". They were worried, and it was obvious on their faces. What if something happened to Leiko? How close was the village, really? Was she okay?

These thoughts engulfed the two demons, who were silent since she had separated from them. Kouga was growing annoyed, to say the least. Brow twitching, he crossed his arms. "Would you two just get over it already? She wasn't going to stay with us forever you know," He said bluntly.

Frowning, Ginta glanced to the trees at his side. "We know that, Boss… But what if something happened?" He pondered.

Kouga rolled his eyes as his pace picked up slightly. "Who cares? She was annoying anyway." Glancing to one another, his companions let out synchronized sighs. Of course Kouga would think so – his ego had been attacked for a week. They all continued walking, still silent, when Kouga suddenly came to a stop.

He spun around, looking behind them all with narrowed eyes. His shoulders tensed as the wolves around them began growling, now on alert as well. "What is it, Boss?" Hakkaku asked curiously.

"Can't you smell that?" He asked them roughly, eyes darting throughout all the trees in search of what hit his nose.

The two sniffed the air and soon understood what he meant. "Cat demons," Ginta mumbled as he looked around the forest they were in. Flashes of black could be seen, darting past them. He slowly looked back to Kouga. "What should we do?"

Kouga said nothing at first as he turned. "Nothing. They have nothing to do with us," He said casually before starting his journey again. Ginta and Hakkaku glanced to one another before quickly following, the wolves running after them all.

. . .

"_I went to the village to find her but she wasn't there. Then I encountered some… Trouble."_

_Four panther demons all stood in a circle, facing one another. Three were female; all shorter than the man. The woman that spoke had bright red flaming hair that fluffed upward. A red scarf tied around her neck, matching the red and tan fur she wore. The woman to reply to her had long, blue hair and wore a soft blue kimono of sorts, "That wolf demon we smelled earlier… Doesn't he know this priestess?"_

_The redhead's mouth formed an 'O' shape as she quickly nodded. "He had the scent of a human girl around him as well!"_

_Nodding, the third girl looked between the two. With long brown hair and flower pins in them, she stood the shortest. "Maybe she is with him now," Her light voice offered._

_The blue haired woman smirked lightly. "Good… Shunran, go with Karan after the scent. You as well, Shuran," She said, glancing to the man to her right. He was tall and tanned, the biggest of the group with short, dark hair. "Find that priestess."_

. . .

Leiko wasn't sure how long she had been walking, but she knew it was at least long enough for her legs to start feeling like jell-o. She could've rested, but she didn't feel very confident sleeping that night. After all that happened, she didn't trust herself to be fully aware if something happened.

Her worries were validated when something big fell onto her back.

She yelped just before her face smashed into the ground. Groaning, Leiko picked her head up from the grass and dirt, looking over her shoulder to see a red haired woman sitting on her. "What… The hell?" She shouted up at the stranger, who quickly stumbled off her.

"Y-You aren't the priestess!" Karan shouted, pointing down at Leiko. "You're not wearing skimpy clothes… And you _definitely_ don't look super young!" She exclaimed as well, shaking her head furiously.

Leiko's shoulders tensed. "What did you just say to me?" She growled out slowly, glaring over at the panther demon. The panther demon hesitated, blinking a few times as she looked to Leiko cluelessly. "How dare you call me old!" She shouted, glaring the redhead down.

She was about to continue, when a deep voice interrupted her. "Karan, just get some answers. We need to go." Leiko jumped slightly, jerking around to see a man standing there. He wore a deep green vest over his bare tanned chest, with large bands around his wrist. A girl stood beside him, much shorter than him with long brown wavy hair. The man stared down into Leiko's eyes.

From the intimidating stare alone, she could tell he was a demon. "What do you want from me?" She asked, her voice loud and bold to hide the unsettling feeling she was getting in her gut.

The redhead placed her hands on her hips as she nodded, "Right." Calming down, she stood tall as she looked across the area to Leiko. Several panthers made their way behind her, glowering across at the brunette with almost as much intensity. "Where's the priestess?" Karan questioned firmly, not wasting any time.

Silence. Leiko asked a simple, "Who?"

Karan almost stumbled to the ground in shock, her shoulders drooping dramatically. Leiko's head cocked curiously to the side, her bangs hanging in her face as she stared between the two demons in confusion. "What do you mean, who? The priestess that's always around the dog-demon! And… Wait a minute - where's that _wolf_ demon anyway?" Trailing off into her own thoughts after she repeated Karan's words, Leiko quickly realized she meant Kouga. But what _priestess _could they have been talking about? She was sure she didn't see any priestess during her stay with the wolf pack.

"Wait a minute. You mean that girl that travels with… In-something-or-other?" Leiko asked, twirling around her finger as she asked her question. She looked away from Karan and glanced over her shoulder to Shuran, who stared her down, and Shunran who remained blank. "Yes?" She asked. The three demons shared a look and nodded at her. Once she established they were all on the same page, she shrugged her shoulders high into the air. "I d'unno."

Both demons tensed. Karan glared across at the brunette, who seemed oblivious to their anger. '_Who the hell is this girl?_' Karan seethed in her head, her fists clenching tightly. "You just said you knew her!" She exclaimed as she reached the point of growling.

Leiko looked at her and quickly shook her head. "I said nothing of the sort!" She replied defiantly, "Besides, I only know _of_ her. Don't blame me for you three having a bad lead!"

Shuran sighed heavily. "We need to go, Karan."

Nodding, Karan glared at Leiko before she quickly set off. Shuran and Shunran turned, following the other's lead. The panthers that stood behind Karan quickly rampaged their way forward, shoving past and around Leiko. "H-Hey!" Leiko shouted in annoyance, trying to keep her stand. Knowing that if she didn't move, she'd be pummeled; she unsheathed one of her Kama and thrust it high into the air. The Kama secured itself over a branch above her and she pulled herself up with the rope attached to the end of it. With little upper body strength, she quickly made a grab for the branch to pull herself onto it, but missed.

Leiko's eyes widened as she felt her grip slip from the Kama.

. . .

Far away from Leiko, three wolf demons ventured through the forest silently. Ginta and Hakkaku still worried about Leiko, but Kouga wouldn't have it. So they hid their concerns and continued walking with their heads held high. Kouga was proud of them – even if they were horrible actors, they still tried.

The smell of panther demons had only gotten stronger, but it wasn't their business and they weren't going to stop for it. Even when Leiko's scent mixed with the smell of the demons, they weren't going to stop. As long as Ginta and Hakakku didn't notice it like Kouga did.

Kouga was tense as he walked. Jaw set firmly in place, his teeth ground together as he waited. '_Don't notice… Don't notice…_,' He chanted over and over in his mind. It wasn't that he wanted Leiko to be in danger – it was that he _didn't_ want her to be in danger. If she was, Ginta and Hakkaku would want to watch over her. And that meant more days with her. He only had so much self control.

When the smell of Leiko's blood reached Kouga's nose, he winced. Not at the smell, but at the fact he was now, most definitely, busted. '_Don't notice… Don't notice…_,' He began to chant again. Ginta and Hakkaku stopped in their tracks, but Kouga continued. Maybe he'd trick them into thinking it was their imagination. "Boss," Ginta groaned out dully, staring directly into the back of Kouga's head. He and his companion stood still as stone in between the wolves that watched their masters curiously. Kouga slowly inched his way around to look at their deadpan expressions.

They noticed.

. . .

Wind blew throughout the clearing, ringing in Leiko's ears lowly. The panthers were gone – probably far away at this point. The girl had pulled herself to her feet using a low branch she crawled to. She needed to get to a safer, more comfortable, position in order to see what damage was done to her petite body. Leiko could feel the blood dripping from her elbows and a searing pain in her ankle as she looked to the tree base and back to where she held on.

Reaching out, she gripped the same branch further along and began shimmying her away across to the tree. Once she finally reached it, Leiko let herself lean against the tree. She felt bark rush across her back as she slid to the ground in one big heap. Pulling her knee to her chest, she gave her ankle a once-over. "Aw, damn it…," Leiko hissed out as she concluded it was just as injured as she thought. Holding her arm over her shoulder, she could see a large scrape. "Must've been from when I hit the ground…"

With a large sigh, Leiko extended her legs outward and rested her arms. What was she to do in this situation? It wasn't like she was in a group of people. For all she knew, she was the only one around for miles. All she could do was brace the pain and walk until she found civilization. And pray she didn't get eaten. With her goal in mind, Leiko began breathing slowly as she pulled herself up to her feet. "Leiko! Leiko!"

The girl looked up quickly. She turned her head to the direction of the familiar voice and leaned against the tree. Seconds later, Ginta and Hakkaku ran into the clearing. A smile formed on her lips. She never thought she'd be so glad to see the Omens of Kouga, but she was. "Guys! What are you doing here?" She asked in relief.

Rushing over, Ginta began looking along her body. "We smelled blood," He explained as he found her injury. Holding up her elbow, he let Hakkaku examine it as well. When Leiko didn't see Kouga in sight, she began to get hopeful he wasn't coming.

"We came all this way for a little scrape?"

She scowled. Of course he was coming – they were his henchmen. She turned her head to see him towering over her, arms crossed as he looked down at her elbow dully. "I didn't _tell_ you to come!" She exclaimed. He looked up as well and the two engaged into a heated stare.

Ginta looked between the two in worry as Hakkaku looked down. "What happened to your ankle?"

The two blinked their way back into reality and she looked back to see Hakkaku looking at her foot. "Panther demons almost trampled me so I held onto the tree. Then I kind of landed on it wrong," She explained simply. She began thinking over the event, trying to remember who exactly it was they were looking for.

"Can you walk?" Hakkaku asked her.

When she shook her head, Hakkaku looked to Kouga. He looked to Hakkaku and the two began communicating silently. "No," Kouga muttered when he finally realized what Hakkaku wanted. But the demon persisted. "No way!" Kouga groaned. Hakkaku intensified his stare and Ginta joined him in his quest. "…" Kouga sighed in irritation and as Leiko looked at them all in confusion, he turned and bent down. Looking at her over his shoulder, he frowned, "Get on."

She looked down at him. Her skeptical gaze pierced into his own eyes, _daring_ him to repeat himself. "What?" She hissed out.

His eyebrow twitched. The corner of his upper lip pull up in an annoyed fashion. "Get. On," He repeated, slower. If it was hard coming out the first time, it was even harder a second time around.

Before she could protest, loudly mind you, Hakkaku sighed and pushed her toward Kouga. "Just get on, Leiko…," He mumbled, pleading her to do so.

Leiko looked over at him with the reluctant look of a child, but sighed. Leaning over, she wrapped her arms around his neck and he grabbed her legs, pulling them up so he could stand. She jumped slightly at the feel of his hands, but said nothing. Ginta and Hakkaku shifted nervously when they saw the almost matching frowns on either of them. Hakkaku bit the inside of his cheek not to laugh, and Ginta shook his head at the people around him.

Turning, Kouga began to walk off but when Leiko realized the direction, she grew nervous. "Where are you going?"

"I'm taking you to your village, what'd you think?" He asked. They hadn't been around her for more than ten minutes, and he was already tired of her.

She glanced away quickly. "Y-You can't," Leiko muttered under her breath. Without a word, Kouga looked back at her over his shoulder once more. Seeing his questioning, yet still bored, look, her shoulders drooped. "…Nobody's there," She said slowly, as though it wouldn't be true if she didn't say it. The others fell quiet.

Ginta was the first to speak up. "Nobody?" She shook her head. "Well - where are they?" He questioned, eyebrows raised in worry.

Nothing was said at first. Leiko didn't know where they were, so what was she to say? "I… I don't know. Their note said they went west… That's all," She mumbled out, eyes cast downward.

Hakkaku and Ginta glanced to each other and nodded. A decision had to be made; and it had to be made without the help of the two in front of them. So, taking in a deep breath, Hakkaku looked up to Leiko. "We'll help you find the people of your village, Leiko."

"What?" Kouga shouted, glaring over at his two 'friends'. "Who says? In case you two forgot, we're not walking around to pick up strange women in need!"

Instantly, they were in his face. Deadpan eyed and dull voiced, they simultaneously said, "You help Kagome."

Growling, his glare intensified. "Don't compare her with…," He glanced back to Leiko, "_This_!"

As Leiko protested to being called 'this', Hakkaku said, "Come on, Boss! She needs to find the people from her village! We can't just leave her out here."

Kouga stared at the two in silence. They continued to look up at him in hope – they weren't giving up as easy as Kouga though. Realizing this, he scowled as he looked away in defeat. "Feh… They probably got sick of her," Kouga grunted out under his breath.

Tensing up, Leiko glared down at him. She tightened her grip around his neck. "What was that?" She shouted.

His eyes widened as he felt himself yanked back from the force of her headlock. "L-Let go!" He shouted back, trying to pull himself from her deadly grasp.

"Apologize!"

"You're going to kill me!" Ginta and Hakkaku sighed; even they knew it was going to be a long trip… Hopefully with no casualties along the way.

* * *

Be Responsible. **Don't Flame and Drive**! _Rawr_.


End file.
